Veteran Observer-Reporter sports writer Mike Kovak offers his take on high school sports.
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Saturday, January 29, 2011

Aliquippa in Sports Illustrated

Even the casual football fan from Western Pennsylvania knows the championship tradition of Aliquippa, the WPIAL's premier football power.

From Mike Ditka to Sean Gilbert to Darrelle Revis and Johnathan Baldwin, Aliquippa boasts a long line of greats and the most football championships and championship game appearances in WPIAL history.

The Quips' home stadium, affectionately dubbed "The Pit" bears the name of former Charleroi resident Carl A. Aschman, and it remains this reporter's favorite place to take in a high school football game.

In the most recent issue to arrive in my mailbox, Sports Illustrated takes an in-depth look at the town, from a historical and sports standpoint. The well-crafted story, done by S.L. Price, features interviews with Ditka, Tony Dorsett (who grew up in Plan 11 but fell inside the Hopewell School District border). Gilbert and others, including current football coach Mike Zmijanac and former head coach Don Yanessa. It's a fascinating read, one that I just completed, and I highly recommend it to football fans from the region.

A lot of the old mill towns throughout Western Pennsylvania can tell similar stories, but none have the number of Hall of Fame names that Aliquippa boasts.

About the blogger

A devoted fan of the Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, 1990s rap and Tom Petty, Mike Kovak works as a sports writer for the Observer-Reporter, a newspaper located in Washington, Pa. Kovak covers high school sports – from football to softball and everything in between. He's known to appear at the random Pitt football and men's basketball game or the occasional West Virginia game and previously helped Steelers beat writer F. Dale Lolley at home games. When not tracking college basketball – his sport of choice – or watching That 70s Show reruns, Kovak is busy playing Mr. Mom for his daughter, Anna Noel Kovak.

Kovak was hired by the Observer-Reporter in 1999. He previously spent two years at the Beaver County Times and four months as an intern at the Tribune-Democrat, located in Johnstown.

Kovak invites any and all movie buffs to exchange lines from classic comedies, such as Anchorman, Caddyshack and The Hangover.

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Mike Kovak is a sports writer for the Observer-Reporter. All content on this blog is Copyright 2011, Observer Publishing Co. Washington, PA. 1998-2009 All Rights Reserved